Rocking-chair.



P. ALP. ROCKING CHAIR; APPLIOATION FILED Mmm. 1909.

Patented Aug. 24, 1.909.

IIII

I UL H ll l"lllllllll UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

PETER ALP, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROCKING-CHAIR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, PETER ALP, a subject of the Czar of Russia, residing in New York, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rocking- Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improve* ments in rocking chairs by which the rocking motionof the chair is facilitated and the same adapted to be changed whenever desired, to a fixed non-rocking chair; and for this purpose the invention consists of a rocking chair to the front-ends of the rockers of which is hinged a spring actuated footboard, said foot-board being connected by pivot-rods with elbow-levers fulcrumed to the rear-portions of the rockers, the upper arms of said elbow-levers being pivotally connected with pendent pushers, so that when pressure is exerted on the foot-board the pushers are lifted away from the iloor but pressed on the release of the foot-board on the Hoor for facilitating the roclging motion of the chair. The invention consists further in placing the hinged foot-board in position against the front-legs of the chair, and lower the pushers so as to press on the floor and hold the rear-parts of the rockers in raised and non-rocking position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side-elevation, partly in longitudinal section, of my improved rocking chair7 showing the same in position for rocking, Fig. 2 is a similar section of the lower part of the chair, showing the foot-board in raised position for placing the chair in nonrocking position, Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3, 3, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a detailview showing the spring-connection of the foot-board with the rocker.

Similar letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts throughout the iigures.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a rocking chair of any approved construction, b the rockers of the same, c the legs and fthe foot-board, which is hinged to the cut-oii iront-ends of the rockers. To the hinges of the foot-board 1f are also applied coiled springs s, one enc oi' which abuts against the front-end of the rocker and the other end against the adjacent face oi the foot-boardf. The foot-board f is provided with lugs 70 o'n the face adjacent to the front-ends of the rockers and connected by two pivot-rods f1,

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Application led March 8, 1909.

Serial No. 482,022.

one alongside of each rocker, with the lower arms of elbow-levers d that are fulcrumed to the rear-portions oi' the rockers, the upper arms of the elbow-levers being connected by pivots with pendent pushers e having enarged lower ends, or feet that rest on the floor. When pressure is exerted on the footboard by the foot oi the person sitting on the rocking chair, the foot-board is lowered against the tension of its springs so as to abut against the iront-ends oil the rockers, the motion being transmitted bv the pivot-rods f1 and iulcrumed elbow-levers d to the pushers e, so that they are lifted away from the floor. On releasing the pressure on the foot-board the springs s move the same away 'from the pivot-ends of the rockers and produce by the action oi' the pivot-rods and i'ulcrumed elbow-levers the downward motion and pressure ol' the pushers on the iioor so as to raise the rear ends oi' the rockers. By intermittently pressing on the foot-board the rocking action is produced by the intermittent lifting and lowering oi' the pushers by the tension of the springs. The rocking of the chair is accomplished in a more comfortable manner than when the feet rest on the floor and impart a rocking motion to the chair by the pressure of the feet on the iloor.

When it is desired to use the rocking chair in the manner of an ordinary chair without rockers, lthe foot-board is swung up on its hinges until it arrives in recesses c1 in the front-legs c of the rocking chair, as shown in Fig. 2, by which the elbow-levers are moved infront of a vertical transverse plane passing through their fulcra, so that the pushers are lowered and locked into vertical position on the iloor, as shown in Fig. 2. In this position of the pushers e, the rear-ends of the rockers are raised and sustained in raised position by the pushers, the weight of the chair being thrown on the iront-ends oi the rockers, which are held rigidly in position, so that the chair is prevented from rocking.

As the attachment permits at will the rocking of the chair or the retention of the chair in non-rocking position as an ordinary chair, the rocking chair is capable of being used for different purposes: in one case, namely, for rocking purposes when the footboard is in lowered position, or non-rocking, when the foot-board is raised and the pushers are placed in a position for holding up the rockers and preventing the rocking of the chair.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a rocking Chair, the combination, with the rockers, oi a spring-actuated footboard hinged to the front-ends oi' the same, elbow-levers uloi'umed to the rear-portions ol the rockers, pivot-rods connecting the foot-board with the lower arms oil the elbowlevers, and pendent pushers pivoted to the upper arms of the elbow-levers.

2. In a rocking-chair, the combination, with the rockers oi' the same, o'll a foot-boaid hinged to the 'front-ends oi' the rockers, and adapted to be moved up against the l'rontlegs ol the chair, elbow-levers fulerumed to the rear-portions of the rockers, pivot-rods connecting the foot-board with the lower arms of the elbow-levers and pendent pushers pivoted to the upper arms of the elbowlevers, said pushers holding the rockers in iixed position when the foot-board is placed in position against the iront-legs of the chair. In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence oi'I two subscribing witnesses.

PETER ALP, Witnesses 1 PAUL GOEPEL, H. J. SUHRBIER. 

